In the Shadows
by ariella21
Summary: When Ariana makes a deal with her father, she has no idea of what is going on behind closed doors. Setting out into the human realm to find a life outside of her fathers rule may not be her biggest problem! Ash is wrestling with a secret thats slowly twisting him into someone he never wanted to be! Jason has survived for a long time but has no idea the power within him untill her.


Chapter 1: Ariana

He's here again sneering at me as he makes his usual snide remarks to get under my skin "Hey freak show, fancy seeing you here." He looked right at me giving me his trademark smouldering smirk.

"I do actually go here so it's no surprise that I would be here, quit the jerk act already it's getting rather old." I try to match his arrogant, sarcastic tone but inside my pulse is racing a thousand miles an hour. How does he get this kind of reaction out of me? Just that look and I'm a quivering bundle of nerves.

The dream changes and he's holding me tightly to him trailing kisses up my neck and whispering sweet nothings into my ear… "Ariana." He whispers sending shivers down my spine.

Bang bang-bang! "Ari, get your butt out of bed you're gonna make us late." The sound of banging on my door pulling me from my delicious dream just as it was getting to the good part.

"Mmmh wha-aat." She has the worst timing in the world as always.

"The meeting remember." She stresses each word to try to get through to me in my state of sleep induced befuddlement.

"Ooh great, remind me why we are doing this again." I moan knowing exactly what she is going to say.

"Oh come on Ari we agreed to this, you want to go out there just as much as I do maybe even more. Look I know you're worried about getting your dad in a huff but we both know it's now or never, all you have to say is we both feel that we need to spend some time in the human world in order to mature to full responsible adults. Or something along those lines your better at making these things up than I am." She always knows exactly what to say to twist my arm not that it's taken much on this account. I just knew there was something or someone waiting for me in the human realm.

"Ok, ok let me get ready give me 10 minutes I'll meet you outside." I told her whilst trying to untangle myself from the sheets.

Getting out of bed I head straight for the mirror sounds vain but hey I may not be human but I am a girl. Staring back at me is the same unchanging reflection that is always there. I have long black hair with blue tones in it, deep-sea blue eyes, average height, a normal lithe athletic figure that is the same as everyone else's here and this black birthmark that swirls from my wrist to halfway up my arm it is the mark of royal descent. That being said everything else about me is completely different to the rest of the population. We are all faeries of the summer court and before you start naming all the clichés you've heard about faeries think again. We aren't little pixies with pointy ears tiny wings and cute little dresses, we pretty much look human but we have a slight glow to our skin which magnifies when we use our magic and we have wings huge powerful wings but we don't always have them out they are a right pain most of the time I mean can you imagine trying to walk through a crowd of people with these enormous wings in the way eergh nightmare. As I was saying I'm a bit of an enigma to the court, daughter of the king but I'm the complete opposite to everyone here. The faeries of the summer court are all about light bright colours they have orange and gold tones in their hair, wings and even in their glow all except me. Don't get me wrong I love my dark hair and my wings have the most amazing violet and indigo patterns that combine together making a really ethereal look to them even in my world of magic and mystery but it always makes me feel like I don't belong here which is stupid there is no other royal court except for the winter court and there is no way I'm a winter faery. The winter court is pretty much void of colour everything is white; white blonde hair, transparent wings even their glow is just this colourless shimmer. The only time they have colour to them is if they use magic to create an illusion like the queen does. But there I go again getting off track if you hadn't noticed I'm easily distracted.

After getting ready I head out to meet my best friend Ivy, she is your typical summer court faery exactly as I described earlier, brown hair with gold and orange highlights, golden wings and a burnt orange glow.

"About time you got here I've been waiting ages we've got like a minute to get there and you know better than anyone how much he hates people being late." She moaned at me.

"I know, I know come on it'll be fine." Not sure if I was trying to convince her or me.

We got to my dad's study just in time and I timidly knocked on the door getting more and more nervous with each passing second.

"Enter." His overly gruff voice boomed out of the room.

We quickly went into the room no one not even me and Ivy kept my dad waiting. He was stood over by the window gazing out at his kingdom; taller than most with long golden hair tied back at the nape of his neck, bright green eyes, huge shoulders and a really youthful face you'd think he was my brother not my dad.

"Ariana, Ivy what is it you wish to discuss with me." He asked us lifting his gaze from the window to give us his full attention.

"Go on Ari, you ask him." Ivy whispered to me. I cleared my throat unsure of how to start or where to begin.

"Um.. well.. we.. um." I stuttered.

"Speak up Ariana! You know I hate it when you mumble." His menacing tone jumped me out of my speechlessness.

"Me and Ivy feel like we should be given the opportunity to go spend some time in the human realm to explore everything life has to offer us before we have to take our responsibilities seriously." I hold my breath waiting for a reaction.

"No." His tone left no room for argument but I wasn't backing down that easy not for something I so desperately wanted.

"What that's it no discussion or compromises come on dad I hardly ever ask you for anything this is really important to me." I crossed my fingers hoping I could change his mind but knowing him I will be left disappointed.

"No and that is my final answer. Now it is my turn, Ivy please leave us I wish to discuss something with Ariana." He sat in his desk chair gesturing at Ivy to leave.

"I'll see you later Ari." As she opened the door and left me alone with my dad knowing I would tell her exactly what he says as soon as I leave.

"Ariana I wish to discuss something of importance and you are going to listen without comment until I am finished. Are we clear?"

"Yes Dad." I braced myself for the worst.

"As you are well aware me and Queen Dabria have been in and out of meetings these past few years trying to negotiate the terms of a truce in this age-old feud and we have finally come to an agreement that we are both happy with. You and her son Prince Ash will be wed in order to form an alliance and put an end to the animosity between our two courts. With the two of you together we will form a new court there will be no more us and them we will be one, the unification of our courts will strengthen all faery kind both summer and winter alike." He paused in his speech waiting for a response from me but I'm speechless I don't know how even he could do this to me. An arranged marriage what are we back in the 1800's or something?

"Are you asking me or telling me?" I asked though from the look on his face I already had my answer.

"Ariana you and ash are the only chance we have to bring peace between the courts, are you really so selfish that you can't see past how this may affect you and see how this will benefit everyone." He gave me one of his don't argue with me looks but I just looked sceptically at him.

"Surely you don't think that just because me and some winter prince hook up that everyone is gonna hold hands, skip around the courtyard and forget thousands of years of grudges. I mean I want peace as much as the next person but come on dad that's a stupid idea it would never work." I stop my rant knowing I had taken it too far and any minute now he was going to explode.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that I am your father and as your king you will do as your told no questions asked!" He shook with the rage he was barely containing. The thing you should know about summer fey is their extremely hot-tempered and my dad was famous for it.

I sat there head down staring at my hands in my lap unsure of how to react without making him even angrier than he already was, which sounds impossible but you don't know him like I do. I had to find a way out of this no way was I being forced into an arranged marriage to someone I don't even know never mind love and to top it off its to some stuck up pompous winter prince. I needed a plan but I only had about 5 seconds to stall my dad before he took my silence as a yes. Then the most incredible idea hit me why I didn't think of this straight away can be blamed on the fact that I was in shock.

"Ok I will make a deal with you." I started to say.

"Ariana…"

"No wait a minute hear me out a second, if you say that marrying this prince is gonna bring peace to the courts then fine I'll do it but only if you let me and Ivy go stay in the human realm for 3 years first and then when we get back I'll marry this prince ." No way was I actually going to marry this guy but he didn't need to know that just yet.

"3 years is too long Ariana I will agree to one." He stated trying to regain control of the situation.

"Come on dad one year is no time at all give us two it's the least you can do." Oh god I can't believe this might actually work Ivy is going to be thrilled.

"Fine! But that is it I never want to hear you mention the human world again." He reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I say as I get up and rush to the door before he can change his mind.

"Oh and Ariana before you leave our lands you shall meet with Prince Ash and I will be announcing the engagement. One last thing, Ash will be going with you god only knows what you and Ivy would get up to on your own." He turned away from me and resumed his gazing out the window clearly dismissing me.

"But dad…" This was so unfair how the hell was we supposed to come up with a plan with him watching our every move.

"That's my last offer Ariana or you don't go at all and you will be married within the next month. If I was you id count myself lucky that I'm letting you go in the first place." He said silencing my protests.

"Ok." I muttered half-heartedly. I left the room and stood up against the wall trying to figure out a way to tell Ivy. Deciding Id know how to tell her when I see her I headed off to find her knowing she'd most likely be down by the river where we always go. Spreading my wings out I take off flying over the manicured gardens, fields of flowers and rows of houses. It felt so good to stretch my wings out after being so tense while talking to my dad, I finally reach the spot in the woods where the river is hidden we like to come here as it's so peaceful, the trees have a little opening to let the sun hit the patch of grass we sit on the rest is completely shaded. All the woodland is of its own doing there isn't anyone that comes out here to finely trim the hedges or make flowers grow where there not supposed to it is how nature intended it to be and that's why me and Ivy love it that and no one else knows it's here cause no one will come into the forest, apparently there used to be this other royal court of faeries called the shadow court and they lived deep in the darkest regions of the great forests but even though they all say it's just a myth it still prevents them from coming into the forest.

I land gracefully beside Ivy and fold my wings away while brushing my windswept hair out of my face.

"Well come on tell me already." She looked expectantly at me.

"I uh don't know how to tell you this." I pause knowing she is going to do her infamous screech as soon as I finish.

"What is it Ari come on I'm dying over here." She said dramatically.

"As of next week me and you are posing as humans for 2 years!" I cover my ears waiting for it.

"OHH MY GOOOD! No way how the heck did you get round him he was so adamant that we weren't going. Oh god I'm so excited we have to go get ready we have to go pack." She started trailing off in excitement.

"Ivy wait there's more." I try to tell her.

"and we got to decide where we're going and…"

"Ivy listen to me I got something important to tell you." I try again but there was no getting through to her. I grab hold of her shoulders and stop her pacing.

"IVY!" I shout.

"Sorry Ari I'm just so excited, wait a minute why aren't you excited what's going on what aren't you telling me." She said in a worried tone.

"I was trying to tell you but you got a little too excited it's my fault I should have told you the bad news first. The thing is my dad was completely against the idea of us going but I made a deal with him, you see he's told me that he has arranged for me to marry prince Ash." I stop knowing she is going to interrupt me.

"What! How could he do this to you that's disgusting he doesn't honestly think you're going to go through with it does he?" She exclaimed.

"I've told him I will if he let us stay in the human world for 2 years and he's agreed." I said softly.

She looked at me doubtfully knowing that I would never go through with something like this.

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" She glared at me.

"Ha ha you know me too well Ivy, obviously I'm not going to do it I just told him that I would so we could come up with a plan and where better to do that than in the human world."

"Oh my god Ari you had me worried there, for a minute I thought you were serious." She laughed.

"There is one other thing obviously my dad doesn't trust us to go out on our own soo…" Knowing she would guess exactly who is coming with us.

"Let me guess pompous Prince Ash is babysitting us." She sighed

"You got it."

"Don't worry Ari we'll figure something out it's not like he can literally follow us everywhere." She assured me.

_And if all else fails we can just mind speak!_I state sending that into her mind the idea only just hitting me.

_You know I actually completely forgot about that you're a genius and we're the only ones that know how to do it._Getting excited again she started dancing round.

"Come on Ari we have so much to do before next week." She took off into the air. Shaking my head at her exuberance I take off after her you can't help but catch on to her excitement it was infectious.


End file.
